For us, 2014 slipped in quietly. I was snuggled in our new flannel sheeties, blissfully unaware of the moment, and that’s just fine for me. We prefer to stay home (especially when it’s cold and snowy!) and spend the time with our family. I’m so not 20-something anymore!

Have you always done New Year’s resolutions? I quit doing them years ago because I never followed through with them. And yet, at the beginning of each new year, I always have this hopeful sense that “this year will be different. This year, I will [do something I’ve always wanted to do but never seem to get around to doing].

So, as I write this on the first day of January, 2014, I have the desire to list all the amazing things I want to do in the next 12 months. Nearly every single one can be traced back to the One Thing that if I just fixed that, I could conquer the world.

Time Management

That old, elusive devil in my life. Time. Since becoming a Dr. Who fan (my daughter has embraced the moniker “Whovian”, while I’m just a fan), I’ve come to learn that time is really just a big ball of wibbly, wobbly, timey wimey stuff. Yep, that pretty much sums it up for me. A big tangled mess of stuff. Shiny, sparkly stuff that constantly distracts me. I hate it. If I could just get my hands on a sonic screwdriver, I’m sure I could solve all my timey wimey problems.

However, since I’m not a TARDIS driving Time Lord wielding a sonic screwdriver, I will have to come up with a different plan. I’m thinking the KISS method will probably be my best bet. You know, Keep It Super Simple. I just can’t do it all, there are not enough hours in the day! And managing the hours I do have is not something that comes naturally to me.

Since I’m easily distracted, I’m going to focus on short-term goals rather than long-term goals (although keeping them in mind while choosing the short-term goals would be a good idea). What goals can I set for the first quarter of 2014? And let’s be realistic, shall we?

Long-term goals to keep in mind:

• Faith Goals – study deeper, drawing closer to the Father
• Family Goals – strengthening relationships
• Food Goals – coming to terms with the need for a Paleo/low carb diet
• Blog Goals – focus on building a community

Short-term goals to start on right away:

• Faith Goals – outline daily study focus
• Family Goals – spend special time with each of the kids
• Food Goals – research paleo diet and come up with a plan
• Blog Goals – set aside time each day to intentionally interact

That’s simple. It’s do-able. I’ll have to check out Pinterest to find some cute way to keep my goals attractively and prominently displayed, eh? I have to admit to not being a huge fan of chevron patterns. Seems like everyone is into the chevron on Pinterest. Sigh. Always the oddball I seem to be!

What are YOUR goals for 2014? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear what you’ve got in mind!